Running through life with a heart overwhelmed by grace

It’s that time of year again when we are feeling refreshed and postivley looking at our futures with wide-eyes, hoping for the best. It’s within reach more than at other times of the year when we feel beat down. We are optimistic. I want you to continue that feeling, so here’s a list of 5 steps to keep your resolutions this year.

Write it down. There’s power in putting pen to paper. Get it out of your head and on paper. Make it a reality. Set your intention.

Share with your friends and family. This provides accountability. Ask them to check in with you on your progress. Be prepared to answer them. Dont’ get upset if they do bring it up. You asked them to!

Reverse engineer your goal. Back the truck up. Beep beep beep beep beep. Ask yourself HOW do I get there? What is it going to take to get there? Find your number and divide it down into increments by months, weeks, and even days! Figure out your exact plan. Break it down. (bowow bow bow bowow)

Make daily decisions. This has to be a lifestyle change. Make it your new way of living. Dont think of it as a chore but instead visualize how you will feel when you get there. It will be hard at first, but I promise it will seem like second nature eventually.

Celebrate you wins along the way. Relish in those small victories. Enjoy them. You earned it!

Most of all, take action…now. Don’t wait until tomorrow, next week, in the spring to start. Start now and you are one step closer to living your dream life.

This world can and will break your heart. I know it has mine. You spiral down in this hole that you think you may never come up out of. You feel your world crashing down on you. You feel like there’s too much to do, so you do nothing.

I know this feeling and I was there not so long ago. We had made plans. I had my life mapped out. I knew where I was going. I loved it. I felt in control…and then I didn’t. I camped out on my couch for my entire Christmas break, and I regret all that time I wasted. I want to help you from making that same mistake I did. I want to help you get over your heartbreak more quickly.

First of all, take a minute and think about all that you have been given and be grateful. Receive the love and friendship that is begging to be given to you. Is anyone trying to help you? Are you pushing them away? Are you making excuses? Playing the victim?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Yes, sometimes bad things happen to good people. We get our feelings hurt. We suffer losses, but it is all a part of a bigger plan. Have you ever heard the saying “You can’t see the forest for the trees?” Well, this is kinda that. And I want you to know that I am not discounting your pain and hurting at all. I truly believe that you are feeling so much right now that it seems unbearable, but I want you to know that there is more. So much more coming.

I consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. = The pain that you’ve been feeling can’t compare to joy that’s coming. (loosely translated) {Romans 8:18}

Those plans that you had, they will be different now. Who knows? They may even be better. You will look back at this season and realize why it had to happen. You will want to express so much gratitude and praise for this hurt redirecting you to a better path.

Let that give you peace and healing on your journey. Please, reach out to someone if you are in this pit right now. I would love to chat with you if you feel like you have no friends to speak with.

Life is hard, y’all. Some days I have no desire to do anything productive because it feels like I’m always striving. Always trying and searching for more. When is it ever enough? When is my ship gonna come in?

It can feel like you are being overlooked, forgotten, when things aren’t happening as quickly as you want them to be. How do you get past this feeling? You take control of what you can and trust God to handle the rest. Find joy in the present. Don’t wait to live your life…

Do some good – volunteer for a soup kitchen, coach Girls on the Run in your area, help the elderly with their daily tasks, do something nice for a friend or family member, etc. Find something that you enjoy and help others with that gift you have.

Praise and worship – instead of constantly praying for what you want, try spending some time in gratitude for what you do have.

Read a book – I know. What could reading a book do?? Well, it could distract you OR if you read a personal development book, or memoir, it could give you hope and action steps that you can take to get the results that you want. Have you had your heart broken? Read “Rising Strong” by Brené Brown. It helped me get over mine, as well as seeing a well-timed Instagram post by Christine Caine quoting Psalm 34:18 –

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Get a hobby – What is something you like to do? Take photos? Get yourself a good camera and go exploring. Do you like crafting? Check out Pinterest for some inspo and head to Hobby Lobby or Michael’s for supplies and you’re set for the duration of that project.

TRAVEL – Get out of town. See some new sights. Take in a new city or a new landscape or both! There is nothing like experiencing a new culture, even if it’s just an hour away. Take a trip. Do something by yourself.

Most of all, I want you to know that you’re not alone. There are others out there going through exactly the same thing as you. And, God has not forgotten you. His timing is perfect.

Woah! It’s been a while, right? Well, I’m back and I have decided that I am writing a book, soooo I should be practicing my writing, right?

I have just started reading Without Rival by Lisa Bevere. I happened to pick this book up by “accident”. My friend and I were at Lifeway and I got this feeling. I told her, “There’s a book I’ve been wanting to read but I don’t know what it’s called, or even what the cover looks like.” Big help, right? ha! We did some browsing but none of them felt “right”. I picked up Present over Perfect, but I knew that wasn’t what I was looking for. We eventually left. I forgot about it.

Then, we went to Hobby Lobby (not looking for books, I swear.) As we were headed to the checkout line, I saw the books. I asked her if we could look really fast. I still had that “feeling.” Then, I saw this title and this cover and I knew it was what I was looking for. Now, subconsciously, I know that I have seen this book on Instagram or somewhere and I had stored it away for a time when I needed it. The time was now.

When you are in business for yourself, there is always going to be time to compare, to feel less than everyone else doing just what you are doing. I had just recently experienced this when an online friend chose another health and fitness coach over of me. It cut so deep. I wondered why and I pondered for a full day what made her “better than me” In other words, that whole “why am I never good enough?” voice came raring its ugly head. ugh. That is NEVER a good look…on anyone. I, thank goodness, have been doing so much personal development and self-care that I didn’t let this keep me down too long. I know that this happens, but that doesn’t mean that my tender heart has been hardened.

As I began reading Without Rival, I came across the line,

Marvelously loved one, there is absolutely nothing accidental about you.

Ahh! Can you just feel that exhale. No one else is you. No one else can ever compare to you because you are you. You are youer than you, as Dr. Seuss says. God has made us each unique. We have been set apart so that we have no “rival”. We shouldn’t be competing with anyone, whether it be for friends, boyfriends, jobs, contests, clients, etc. Our only competition should be ourselves, to be better than the person we were yesterday.

It’s not lost on me that the last time I sat down and wrote a blog, it was about comparison. Obviously, this is a struggle. One that I believe many women, and, likely, some men, deal with all throughout life. But, the truth is that it’s a no-win situation. We cannot be winners when we are looking at our competition rather than looking up to our Creator for what He wants from us. So today, join me in locking arms and taking in all that we are, as individuals, and what we can do as unique beings during our time on Earth.

Have you ever had a rival? How did it feel? How do you believe that you are unique and without rival?

Just the other day, I was listening to a podcast while getting ready and I felt overcome with anxiety. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of my worry. I was listening to totally inspirational stuff. The woman’s voice coming from my phone was glowing with excitement at the adversity she had overcome only to lead her to the absolute top position in her company…also my company. Then, boom. It hit me. I felt like I was in competition with her. This feeling has plagued me since I joined. I was always wondering why other coaches had too many messages to answer, while I was fighting to get people just to respond back to me. Once again, that feeling of I’m just not good enough had crept back in. The enemy. He hates us. He knows full well what gets to each one of us and he feeds into it. I stopped, looked in the mirror, and thought, “I have never been good at competing with others, but I am great at competing with myself.” I have always been an athlete, but one who fights to better herself every day. Any time it came to racing another person to a goal, I froze and failed. I was competitive cheerleader through high school and college. Long-distance, 2-time marathon, runner in my mid-20s. To a short-lived Cross-fit stint between my two marathons. Oh yeah. I can compete with myself. That’s what I have always done. And you know what? I can beat myself, every single time. I know that truth in my heart. I learned new stunts and routines. I beat my fastest running times. I lifted more weight and more reps. I. Can. Beat. Myself. And I am the only one standing in the way of myself.

God has not give me a spirit of timidity but one of power and love and self-discipline.

I will not let the enemy keep me from my dreams, because that’s what he does my friends. Did you know that? If you are feeling not ready, apprehensive, nervous, that’s because something BIG is about to happen. You just have to decide, are you ready to fight for it?

This week is all about love. I love love. It’s the absolute most amazing feeling. It can take you so high. There is no greater feeling than that of being in love.

I was watching The Bachelor the other night (don’t judge) and I heard a girl say that she needed a man to want her in order to feel beautiful again. My heart goes out to her because I know exactly what that feels like. It is so hard to love yourself and see yourself as worthy when “your” man has not come along yet. You think no one wants you, and why would they? You think you are not deserving. Not pretty enough, not young enough, not skinny enough, not tall enough, not cool enough. .

But, this morning at church we sang “Wholly Yours” by David Crowder and I realized that I am wholly His. God, He is the Great Pursuer. No man will ever pursue you the way God does. He will chase you down when you are running the opposite way from Him. He will pick you up all dirty and tattered and carry you back home in his arms. He will reclaim you as His own when you think you have messed up too badly to ever come back.

We look to men to fill that void, to make us feel “complete”. We feel lonely and feel that having a boyfriend or husband would change that forever but the truth is. Men mess up. Men are not perfect. Men are not God. You can’t hold them to that kind of a standard or you will never ever be satisfied. That’s okay. The same goes for women. We are not perfect and do our fair share of messing up. I’m not just picking on men here. I promise.

All I can do is share what works for me. I am at my happiest when I am loving God and moving my body. This has brought me so close in my relationship with Him. I wanted to share a little bit with you and dedicate this week leading up to Valentine’s Day to the unconditional, steadfast love of our amazing God. The Perfect Lover.

Join me and two of my favorite ladies, Joy and Kristen, in celebrating this love as we host the #HeartWhollyYours challenge on Instagram. Each day we will be meditating on a verse while getting our hearts pumping with a cardio move and ending with a heart opening yoga pose.

The dreaded V-Day. It is upon us, my friends. Unless you have been living under a rock, you have seen all of the pink and red taking over your friendly grocery stores.

I cannot remember ever being happy seeing this month roll around. It was a reminder that I am single (in case I had forgotten). Even when I had a boyfriend it was the worst. He could never live up to the hype (not that he tried or anything.)

But God, He is better than that.

This is the first year that I am not dreading this “holiday”, because, finally, I am relentlessly in love with Him. I am so captivated by Jesus and all that He is and all that He sees in me. He will never let me down. He sees me at my worst, and He loves me just the same. I cannot tell you how happy I am to be able to grasp that.

Have you ever seen or heard that saying, “Be so in love with God, a man has to seek Him to get to your heart”? I’m paraphrasing here because I can’t find the exact quote. I feel like I finally get that. I am at a point where Jesus is the center of my life and any man that wants to get to me will have to go through Him. I’m not interested in roses or candy that comes in a red heart. I’m interested in the love that is everlasting and unconditional. That kind of love doesn’t require gifts. It is a gift. It never wilts and dies. It doesn’t get digested in my belly. It just is and always will be.

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Hi, I'm Niki. I'm here to share my fitness, faith, and everything in-between. I have a passion for helping others reach their goals, whether it be fitness, faith, or financial. I'm 1st grade teacher by day, fitness coach by afternoon. If you can dream it, you can do it!